Australia to welcome Afghan employees

National political reporter

An Australian Army interpreter talks to a goat herder during a patrol in the Baluchi Valley in southern Afghanistan. Photo: Australian Defence Force

Afghan drivers and interpreters who might be at risk as a result of working for Australia in Afghanistan will be able to apply for a resettlement in Australia.

Defence Minister Stephen Smith and Immigration Minister Chris Bowen announced on Thursday that eligible Afghan employees and their direct family members could apply for a visa under Australia’s Humanitarian Program.

"Australia regards itself as having a moral obligation to those Afghans who made a contribution as locally engaged employees, who may be at risk in the future when transition occurs and the Australian and international security assistance force draw down," Mr Smith told reporters in Perth.

The visas will be granted out of Australia’s existing 20,000 person a year refugee intake.

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While Australia will continue to employ local Afghans to support its ongoing commitment to the country, it is starting to draw down its effort in Uruzgan.

In October, Mr Smith told Parliament, Australian and ISAF commanders were ''confident that we are on track to transition to Afghan-led security in the province over the next 12-15 months''.

The majority of ADF troops are expected to be home by the end of 2014, as international forces transition out of Afghanistan.

The announcement follows a similar move when Australia withdrew from Iraq in 2008, which saw 563 Iraqi employees and their families resettled in Australia.

A range of government agencies as well as Defence have hired local employees in Afghanistan, including Foreign Affairs, AusAID and the Australian Federal Police. Mr Smith said it was hard to tell how many Afghan applications would be accepted, but ''potentially we’re looking at hundreds''.

The Afghan visas will be granted on a case-by-case basis. If employees are ''certified as eligible'' by Australian agencies, they will then be able to make an application where they will need to meet the usual health, character and security requirements.

The announcement also follows calls from the Greens and the Coalition to resettle locally engaged staff.

In November, the Greens introduced a bill into the Senate to create a special visa class to bring Afghan interpreters to Australia.

''Recognising the amazing work of Afghan interpreters who risk their lives to keep our troops safe is the only right thing for us to do," Sarah Hanson-Young said.

Coalition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said the Coalition supported "priority access’" to Australia's refugee and humanitarian program for interpreters "who have risked their lives to support our troops," but said this did not require a legislation or a special visa class.

Last year, Fairfax reported that many of the Iraqi interpreters that Australia resettled in 2008 were unemployed and relying on Centrelink benefits.